Change

I wish I could be as energetic and excited around the holidays like my wife and kids are.

I would like to change my haircut

i wish I could change my bodies ability to match my desire to play competitive high level softball again...(dr's consultation for knee is pending)

I would change my metabolism to match the desires of my pie hole

CD,

Interesting thread. There isn't much I would or could change off the top of my head other than my lack of patience sometimes. It is a hereditary gene that has been identified on my fathers side of the family.

However, let me run this by "my much better half" to see what she comes up with! This could get interesting if I choose to post. Julie may have to upgrade the storage capacity on the website.

quote:

Originally posted by HVbaseballDAD:
I would change my metabolism to match the desires of my pie hole

I would change my screen name to Coach_May

This is a question I've heard before. If you could change things in your past, would you?

Basically, my answer is no. Sure there are many things I've done, decisions I've made that, in hindsight, weren't too bright.

However, if I had the ability to change those things and had done so, I might not be sitting where I am today. I might not have my beautiful wife, my awesome kids, my job, my baseball, my HSBBW, etc.

So I'm gonna say, NO, I don't want to change anything.

I have a business degree now.

About 12 years ago, I had a shot to go back to school and get a degree in secondary education. I had plans to become a math teacher, maybe coach football, or basketball. It would have been the perfect time for me to do it, but I didnt and it is probably the only regret I have. I have a job now, but it just isnt fulfilling to me, so I may still go back and do it. But I am getting older so I dont know how that would play into things.

But I do agree with biggerpapi, that you cant really change things, because one change can cause a lot of changes, and I am very happy with the way everything turned out.

Except all the pizza I ate. I wish I could take that back.

“I wish I could be as energetic and excited around the holidays like my wife and kids are.”

I was thinking a similar thing last night, then I had to go out and replace a bunch of broken bulbs on the shrubs out front after the wife wanted to plug in something else. So what does she do but grab one end of an extension chord and take off with it not realizing it was plugged in to the lights on the shrubs. After she drug off half the lights on the shrubs breaking ½ dozen bulbs she then comes in the house and chews me a new one for her not knowing “ things were plugged in that way”. I then spent 10 minutes looking for my coat to put on ( the one she was wearing), had to go to the attic to find new bulbs, banged my head on the rafters, and then had the pleasure of re hanging the lights on the shrubs that I had finished last week.

That was after I got home an hour later than usual because I had to stop at the store to pick up a list of things we needed, a day after I was told all the shopping was done for the season! ( and then told all the inlaws are coming for xmas dinner)...... I lost some of my holiday enthusiasm and desire to change.

Wouldn't it be great to have that feeling as a kid of crawling out of bed on Christmas morning heading for the tree. Probably the best 10 seconds of a kids year!

Happy holidays to all!

I'd change the fact that I have an astigmaticism so that I could sit on the 5 gallon bucket once again and catch my son off the mound.

Oh...and Id change the lack of bravery as well to actually SIT on said bucket above.

YGD

I would change the way I am at home. To often I have a hard time turning off coach and turning on Dad or husband.

quote:

I would change my screen name to Coach_May

LOL

I would want to be a person who doesnt worry and stress about stuff I have no control over.

Give me back the body I had when I was 30!!!

I would have walked on in college and given it a shot. I love coaching but I miss playing more.

I have been thinking about this thread since you first posted it CD. I have wanted to respond but every time I started to it became clear to me it would take me opening up and posting some very personal stuff. I think we all change as the years go by. I know I have. How we were raised, what we were exposed to, how we reacted to those things, how they impacted us, shapes and molds us. And as the years go by and we experience more things in this life we or at least me, change. There are things I believed were rock solid, cut in stone, black and white that I simply don't see that way now. Why? Life has a way of changing us. At least it has for me. So having said all of that what would I change?

I wish I could have had the years as a father and husband under my belt when I was my fathers son. Maybe then I would have understood him more. I would have understood why he wanted me to stay home with my mom when he had to work night shift. When he came home worn out from work and certain things he had to do that I could have done but was too busy maybe I would have done them. When he couldn't get me those things I thought were so important maybe I would have understood why a little better. After fighting in 2 wars Korea and Vietman, raising 4 boys and trying to support a family I would have understood why at times he seemed cold and hard. Maybe when I stayed out too late and didn't make his curfew I would have understood the worry and what his wife "my mom" was thinking when I didn't show up on time.

When my children were younger maybe I would have appreciated the time simply reading a book with them all cuddled up in my lap. When I had their full attention, that innocence and wonder in their eyes when you turned the page. Maybe my job could have waited a little longer. Maybe when they woke up with that ear infection in the night and mom had to get up and take care of them I would have taken my turn more often just to hold them and take care of them. Maybe I could have taken a day off when they were sick and simply spent the day with them. Maybe when that school play or PTA meeting was held I would have taken the time to be there. Maybe my job could wait. Maybe when the birthday party was being held that football game could have been turned off. And this list to way too long and painful to keep listing.

When you let words slip out don't be surprised when they let words slip out. When your God is not God but things of this world don't be surprised when their God is not God but things of this world. When you dont make getting up and going to church a priority in your life don't be surprised when its not a priority in their life. When you dont show compassion for the less fortunate and give freely to those in need dont be surprised when they dont. When you dont have time for mom and dad dont be surprised when they dont have time for you or mom. And that list goes on and on.

I did a lot of things right. Only because I did some things that I was taught and saw growing up in my home. I did the best I could with who I was at that time. If I could change one thing it would be able to go back and be who I am today back then. I mean this with all my heart. Only by the grace of God did my two boys grow up to be the tremendous young men they are today. They are better men than I would ever hope to be.

I didn't start this race very well. I stumbled and rambled and winged it in more ways than one. My goal? Finish well. Finish this race the way I wished I would have started it. With love and compassion for those less fortunate. With patience and caring for those who would not show the same to me. To be an example to those I love that its never too late to be the man you should be. To quite simply finish well.

I only post this in the hopes that if there is one person that reads this and they see something in this post that quite possibly relates to them it will somehow make them think before time slips away. I can coach. I can motivate. But I am more concerned with being a great husband, father, son, brother and friend. So I will do everything in my power to finish this race well. And with God's help I will do just that.

Kenny ... You are probably being harder on yourself than the view your kids have. But what you've accomplished is what we're all looking for. We want our kids to be better than we are. You may wish you could have some of the time back. But if your kids turned out great you made up for quantity with quality.

I was once told if you're happy where you are it doesn't matter what happened along the way as long as innocent people weren't harmed by your actions. I'm happy where I am so there's no reason to change the past.

Along time ago my ex once told me if I could remain as calm when I'm ticked off as I am with clients I would be easier to deal with. It was advice well taken and it mostly worked. But there are certain subjects where my eyes glaze over, my mind goes ding, ding, ding, ding, ding and I can't hold back. I wish I could change this. There's still time.

CD,

I would go back and be even more grateful than I was for just being alive and healthy and happy. For being the recipient of God's good graces.

I understand that now more than ever - and have for awhile.

Thats the only thing I would change.

Coach May,
I would like to offer a very sincere thank you for posting that.

Coach May,

That was beautiful. You put into words what I am certain most parents feel. Reminds me of the song "The Cat's in the Cradle". Thank you.

quote:

I have wanted to respond but every time I started to it became clear to me it would take me opening up and posting some very personal stuff.

Coach May,
Thank you for having the courage and heart to share "very personal stuff." Thank you for sharing with a powerful, heartfelt and emotional post.

Great post Coach May, itsinthegame, and everyone else for that matter.

I started the thread for a reason. The idea that even if you've screwed up your life (to this very point), that you can change going forward is very powerful and hopeful - especially this time of year.

Here is a great quote by a guy who is stuck in a wheelchair and they asked him if he could go back and change things if he would:

quote:

Knowing What You Know Now About How You've Affected The World Through Your Accident, Would You Change It If You Could?

No, I would not change it. Many people may think I am not being truthful, but the way I see it, I believe I am in the wheelchair for a reason. God had a different path for my life and he chose me to go through what I have for a reason. The man I have become has affected so many people's lives and they have affected others. It is like tossing a stone into the water and starting a ripple.

The day of my accident I was given a gift—a gift of a second chance at life. Instead of wishing things could be different, I am grateful to be given another chance and I will live my life. After going through everything I have gone through, I know firsthand how precious life is and how quickly your life can change. It doesn't matter if my glass is half-empty or half-full; I am just grateful I have a glass.

Here is a link to the article and I would highly encourage people to read it:
Nick Scott Fitness 360: Becoming The Beast

I feel many of the things Coach May posted about missing things because work was too important. I didn't miss too many baseball games however and it is no wonder that my relationship with my baseball playing son is so close. My oldest son was a fine baseball player as well but he chose a different path and I regret that. I missed many things for my daughter while I was going to law school and building my career even though I already had a fine career going as an Engineer. She is only 19 however and I am trying to help her and encourage her as much as possible with her difficult quest to become a pharmacist.

Most regretful for me is after I started having success, I let my health get away from me. Started hiring out all my lawn work and anything else I needed done. Started eating all the wrong foods at the wrong times. Smoked a pack of cigarettes a day until I had a heart attack at age 44 while driving to work. That "little" event was blessing and only caused me 3 days in the hospital with a stent in place. The 3 days allowed me to quit smoking and I thought my heart problems were behind me.

I replaced my smoking habit with stuffing myself with food and 6 short years later my weight and blood pressure were through the roof. Went and had a heart checkup and they found two arteries blocked - including the stented artery from 6 years past.

The very next day on April 15th (tax day) 2011, I had open heart surgery. I suffered some depression thereafter thinking I had screwed up my life. You know what? The heart surgery was the best thing that could have happened to me. It gave me a second chance at life and I kind of feel like Jimmy Stewart in "It's a Wonderful Life"

I changed my habits. I basically only eat healthy foods now but have a cheat meal occasionally. I lift weights and do high intensity interval cardio most days of the week. Lost 50 or 60 lbs and feel like a 16 year old boy again. More importantly, I do all my own chores around my house and I look forward to doing it.

What's my message? Change is not about yesterday but it is about today. If you've let your health slip, go see your doctor, learn about healthy dieting, and start working out. If you've let your relationships slip - repair them. Only you have the magical power to change.

.

"So I'm gonna say, NO, I don't want to change anything."

I know I'll make papi and his outfit very happy when I make my change...

From this-





To this-





After finding my last good one of these-






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This is an awesome thread... thank you so much for all the great ideas expressed.

For me this became very personal over the past two weeks because my mother-in-law died and her sons asked me to say a few words at the funeral.

I said that she was a person that did not trudge thru this life. She did not meet the day with dread. She dealt with good news and bad news pretty much the same; with a smile and a resolve to move on.

As i said those words I felt myself trying to give myself a pep talk... or a New Years Resolution or something, that these were traits that i would do well to embrace. I deal with a few people on a regular basis that i let them put me in "dread state"... I need to change that.

CD,
Thank you for illustrating, again, how threads such as this one, over many years, have created a site in cyberspace where many of us have been so lucky to have shared, laughed, cried, and truly been blessed with the beauty of living, shared from and through so many wonderful lives...and hearts.
The one thing I thought, for many years, I would change was never in my power to change. That one thing would have been Mother being taken far too early her life, and mine. My Mom died when I was 25. For many, many years I had considerable resentment. Mom never met her daughter-in-law. She never touched, held, or hugged her granddaughter and grandson. It seemed so unfair and probably was!
Several years back, I was running on a brisk Thanksgiving morning. During that time, I could feel the spirit of my Mother with me and speaking to me.
What I heard, and realized, was my longstanding resentment was for nothing. While Mom had never met or hugged her daughter-in-law, granddaughter and grandson, what she told me that crisp November morning was to look closely at each of them that Thanksgiving dinner. When I did that night, I saw the glow of her spirit, strength, love, kindness, courage and compassion living, and literally radiating from and within them.
A few weeks back, we celebrated the Baptism of our first grandson. As the water was being poured over his forehead, I looked just above Derek's head and, literally, could see the vision of my Mother radiate around Derek.
As Coach May emotionally described and your experience illustrates, CD, we finish strong! Who we are and how we live our lives can impact in ways and at times we never imagine, after we touch, and pass, our finish line. As I posted many, many years ago on the site in connection with the 2002 death of Coach Bob Meccage, it is how we live....our dash.
To everyone who posted in this thread and those who will, thank you for sharing with us a part of how you live your "dash."

Great posts folks, thank you! Some of them reverberate with me, validating certain choices, and pointing out opportunities to refocus.

We can't change the past but we can certainly affect the future.

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"I deal with a few people on a regular basis that i let them put me in "dread state"... I need to change that."

Well skipper you probably can't avoid them. Let them spiff your anchor up a bit, but don't let them drop it!




"Anchors aweigh!"...

.

Great post.Making me cry.Ive been crying a lot since the shootings.The posts have been uplifting,Thanks

To the many of you who have shared your most intimate thoughts in this thread, thank you. As for me, I am a product of my parents. They never reminisced about what could have been. It was always, "There is a reason for everything." To wish for change, was to lack faith. As a result, I have also taught my children that we are a product of our choices. Good and bad choices......that's what we face everyday. So as to anything I'd change....I did manage to come up with a few off the top of my head:

I'd put the garage door up every single time I backed out of the garage.

I'd check for the dog's leash before I ran the $800 snow thrower down the sidewalk.

I would check for close telephone poles when opening my brand new F150 truck door.

I would not have swung a baseball bat at my older brother causing him to retaliate and break my leg.

I would have backed off a little in pursuit of a bad guy before going around a blind bend. And I would have put the brakes on sooner.

I would not have picked up the soldiering iron that was left plugged in and laying near the dispatch radio.

I would have taught my son not to brush hog with an $8,000 John Deere lawn tractor.

I would not have climbed the scaffolding at the academy and dove into the bottom of the pool. I could have done without the ruptured ear drum.

I wouldn't have challenged the toughest guy in the neighborhood to a fight. Although I did get a nice friend for life, deviated septum.

I would have reset my directional gyro/heading indicator at Akron/Canton airport before takeoff. Thus avoiding an embarrassing request for a vector from Youngstown approach on my first solo cross country flight. In layman's terms, I got lost.

I would not have parked my patrol car on the median berm during a black ice accident situation on the interstate. What was left of the car is in my workshop.

And I wouldn't have played that prank on my Lieutenant with the skunk essence oil. Whew.

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"I told you to toss me this far from his feet, not on his feet!"

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Please be careful during the holiday parties.

I would like to share a personal experience with you about drinking and driving.

As many know, some of us have been known to have had brushes with the authorities on our way home from an occasional social employer session over the years.

A couple of nights ago, I was out for an evening with colleagues and friends and had cocktails and some rather nice red wine.

Knowing full well I may have been slightly over the limit, I did something I've never done before ~ I took a cab home.

Sure enough, I passed a police road block but, since it was a cab, they waved it past. I arrived home safely without incident, which was a real surprise; as I have never driven a cab before and am not sure where I got it or what to do with it now that it's in my garage.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year

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Make sure you turn off the light on top, otherwise the battery will go dead!



Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you as well.

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quote:

Give me back the body I had when I was 30!!!

Give me the body that I wished for when I was 30!

I would change nothing I amm tottally at ease in my skin

I would have asked my dad more questions.

quote:

Originally posted by TRhit:
I would change nothing I amm tottally at ease in my skin

Me too, I'm completely at ease in TR's skin (although I need to have it let out a bit).

I wish I could make everybody in the world see that Bear's joke really isn't that funny.